Église St-Pierre de Montmartre

Montmartre & Northern Paris


All that remains of the former Benedictine Abbey of Montmartre, this church dates back to the 12th century and is one of the oldest in Paris, though it has been much restored. Built atop a Roman temple to Mars, it was witness to the founding of the Jesuits in 1534, who met in the crypt under the guidance of Ignatius of Loyola.

Some say that the name Montmartre is derived from ‘Mons Martis’ (Latin for Mount of Mars); others prefer the Christian ‘Mont Martyr’ (Mount of the Martyr), a reference to the 3rd-century St Denis, who, according to legend, walked across Montmartre and on to the site of today’s Basilique de St-Denis after having been beheaded by Roman priests.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Montmartre & Northern Paris attractions

1. Place du Tertre

0.04 MILES

Today filled with visitors, buskers and portrait artists, place du Tertre was originally the main square of the village of Montmartre before it was…

2. Basilique du Sacré-Cœur

0.07 MILES

Begun in 1875 in the wake of the Franco-Prussian War and the chaos of the Paris Commune, Sacré-Cœur is a symbol of the former struggle between the…

3. Dalí Paris

0.08 MILES

More than 300 works by Salvador Dalí (1904–89), the flamboyant Catalan surrealist printmaker, painter, sculptor and self-promoter, are on display at this…

4. Musée de Montmartre

0.09 MILES

This delightful 'village' museum showcases paintings, lithographs and documents illustrating Montmartre's bohemian, artistic and hedonistic past – one…

5. Clos Montmartre

0.14 MILES

Epitomising Montmartre's enchanting village-like atmosphere, the quartier has its own small vineyard. Planted in 1933, its 2000 vines produce an average…

6. Halle St-Pierre

0.19 MILES

Founded in 1986, this museum and gallery is in a lovely former covered market. It focuses on the primitive and Art Brut schools; there is no permanent…

7. Le Bateau Lavoir

0.19 MILES

In the late 19th century and early 20th century impoverished artists Max Jacob, Amedeo Modigliani and Pablo Picasso – who painted Les Demoiselles d…

8. Le Mur des je t'aime

0.19 MILES

Few visitors can resist a selfie in front of Montmartre's 'I Love You' wall, a public artwork created in a small park by artists Frédéric Baron and Claire…